Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, January 14, 2019.

 

Iran satellites

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani says the country will soon put two domestically-built satellites into orbit. Rouhani was addressing a large crowd in Golestan province. He said the Payam satellites will go some 600 kilometers deep into space. According to Rouhani, Payam is Iran’s first operational satellite and differs from the previous models that were manufactured for research purposes. He said the device will help with activities such as weather forecast, agriculture, and forest protection among others.

Cutting Palestinian aid

The World Food Program has dramatically cut UN aid for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, amid funding shortages. The WFP’s director for the Palestinian territories said the aid for some 27,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has been suspended. Stephen Kearney said the organization has also cut by 20 percent the aid to another 165,000 Palestinians, most of them in Gaza. The WFP says the situation is mainly caused by the US decision to end some 500 million dollars in funding for Palestinians. The aid cuts can be catastrophic for Palestinians in Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli blockade since 2007. 80 percent of the Gaza population relies on UN aid for their necessities.

US government shutdown

A majority of Americans blame President Donald Trump and Republicans for the longest government shutdown in US history. That’s according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll published on Sunday. The survey found that 53 percent of US citizens believe Trump and congressional Republicans must be blamed for the impasse that has left thousands of employees in limbo. A much smaller 29 percent blamed Democrats. There was a wide partisan divide among Democratic and Republican voters, but 54 percent of the participants disapproved of the construction of a border wall. The survey comes as the partial government shutdown enters its 24th day with Trump insisting on getting 5.6 billion dollars for his contentious wall project. Two-thirds of the respondents also said they are opposed to any move by Trump to declare a national emergency and use his executive powers to secure the wall funding.

No Brexit scenario

The European Union insists the post-Brexit arrangement for the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will be temporary if ever used. In a letter to Britain’s prime minister, European Council President Donald Tusk said the bloc’s promise to avoid a hard Irish border have legal value. He added, the EU’s assurances commit the bloc in what he called the most solemn manner. Tusk’s letter comes as Theresa May has reiterated the British parliament’s possible rejection of her Brexit deal on Tuesday will be a catastrophic failure. She warned lawmakers they risk sabotaging the Brexit process and staying in the EU if they vote down her deal.

Slamming Trump threats

Turkey says it will not be intimidated by the United States threats over Kurdish militants. The top Turkish diplomat also said, strategic partners do not communicate over twitter or social media. Instead, they discuss issues bilaterally. Cavusoglu’s comments followed remarks by US president Donald Trump about American forces’ pullout from Syria. In a tweet, Trump said the withdrawal has begun, but the US will continue to hit remaining Daesh terrorists. Trump also threatened Turkey with economic devastation, if it attacks Kurdish forces in Syria, after the US withdrawal. Washington backs Kurdish forces stationed in northern Syria. Ankara considers them terrorists and wants to defeat them.

Sudan’s Bashir defiance

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir says the ongoing protests will NOT lead to a change in the government. Addressing his supporters in the war-ravaged region of Darfur, Bashir said there is only one road to power and that is through the ballot box. He said the Sudanese people will decide who will govern them in the 2020 presidential election. Bashir said the government will not allow anyone to destroy the country by looting and burning people’s properties. Sudan’s deadly anti-government protests started in December. The demonstrations soon engulfed the country with many protesters killed since then. International rights groups have put the death toll at 40 since the unrest began.Source: presstv.com